Senshiyu ichizoku no botsuraku
-千手一族の没落-
(The Fall of the Senju Clan)
Part 2 : Debate at the Hokage office
In the Hokage office, everything was very hectic. Ok could hear cries of protest from outside.
— If the Uchiha declare war on us, we must fight back! We must stop them as soon as possible!» growled a voice.
— We have no proof that this one is affiliated with the Uchiha... Don't be so hasty!»
— Well... You still have to keep an eye on them, they're dangerous! Why not hire spies?!»
— It's stupid! With their Sharingan, they can see them from miles away! Then they won't trust us anymore... It would only make the situation worse!»
— But we must act! If there's a risk to the village we...»
— SILENCE!!»
A thunderous shout cut short the arguments. A man entered the room. All fell silent. A heavy atmosphere settled in.
Tobirama Senju.
— Isn't my brother here?» he asked, glancing at the empty desk.
The others also looked towards the office, embarrassed by the arrival of the newcomer. Shame could be read in the expressions on their faces.
— Well... He's not too available...» replied a man with brown hair.
— Explain a little, Sasuke, please.» Tobirama pushed him.
— You know what I mean, you don't have to push me. He's still in the hospital.»
Tobirama looked down for a moment. He knew perfectly well that it could only be that, but he didn't want to accept it.
— This situation can't go on, you know, Tobirama... You must officially take up your post.» said a dark-haired woman standing right next to Sasuke.
Tobirama glared at him.
— I think I've already made that clear... No ? Yes, it would be better if I officially took the position of Hokage. In fact, that's what my brother wants. But if foreign powers learn that the greatest ninja in history is weakened, they will take advantage of the situation. Likewise, the village of Konoha will be afraid.»
He paused, looking towards the room's only window, revealing the village buildings.
— I know it's difficult... But believe me, it's the best strategy. I need to take the time to assert our power in the village, so that even without my brother, they'll retain a certain fear of us. I don't want us to face a 3rd great ninja war.»
The others didn't know what to say. He was right, of course. Tobirama had calculated everything; there was no one smarter than him in the whole village. So they nodded in agreement.
— Still...»
A third spoke up. It was a man with black hair and dark eyes.
— ...We don't want to waste too much time. If you take too long... It'll be too late.»
Tobirama nodded.
— Yes... Yes, I know. But there's no other way.»
The dark-haired woman then spoke again, changing the subject:
— Good. I think we have another subject to discuss. That Uchiha you saw last night... Tell us more.»
The three people with Tobirama were Hashirama's sub-advisors, behind Tobirama. They had gained their high position through their titles as clan chiefs. To maintain peace in the village, the most powerful clans had to be given important ranks, a decision Tobirama had taken in agreement with his brother.
The first, the man with brown hair, was called Sasuke Sarutobi. He was the current head of the Sarutobi clan, the 4th most powerful clan in the village.
Then there was Fuyugu Shimura, the black-haired man. He was the current head of the Shimura clan, the 5th most powerful clan in the village. His clan had a certain rivalry with Sasuke's Sarutobi clan, as they were relatively close in power.
Then, finally, the black-haired woman was Himana Hyuga, head of the Hyuga clan, Konoha's 3rd most powerful clan after the Uchiha and Senju. Her clan had joined the village fairly recently. Previously, they had been so powerful that they formed a single village, but the village of Kiri had weakened them after a long battle.
In short, these three were part of the village elite. After Tobirama, Hashirama and his wife Mito, very few people could defeat them.
— I don't really know if he was an Uchiha, to tell you the truth. But of course he had the Sharingan. After the various bans we've imposed on the theft of Uchiha wards, it's unlikely that he wasn't one, but it's better not to get ahead of ourselves.» Tobirama explained.
— Did he look powerful?» Himana Hyuga asked.
— I think so. When I was about to neutralize him, he managed to use space-time ninjutsu. From his pupil. In my opinion... Such power thanks to the Sharingan... He must possess the famous Mangekyou Sharingan.»
— This... This is not good...» Sasuke Sarutobi grumbled.
— If he can use that kind of eye power, he's probably an Uchiha. A simple ninja who had stolen a pupil could not have awakened such power. Unless he's directly grafted a Mangekyou... But that's highly unlikely. Besides... His mastery would therefore be diminished.» remarked Fuyugu Shimura.
— Yes... I think so.» affirmed Tobirama «We must take precautions... I think I'm powerful enough to defeat him, but he must be extremely powerful and could be very dangerous if I don't react in time.»
— Yes, you're right.» Sasuke agreed.
The other two nodded.
— This guy... When he talked about his "plan"... He talked about a certain "master". He must be part of a group of people... And most likely, he's not the most powerful. This "master" is probably far above, and there may be yet another hierarchy between the two.»
Sasuke, Himana and Fuyugu looked at Tobirama with concern. This did not bode well.
Suddenly, the office door opened wide, and a man entered the room.
Tobirama turned around. A man whose presence he could not detect... It could only be...
— Hashirama!» he exclaimed in surprise.
— Greetings to you all.» Hashirama said «Hello, Tobirama.»
They greeted him warmly. But not Tobirama.
— Hashirama... You shouldn't be here. If you're not well, stay in the hospital.» he said.
— Oh, no! Don't worry! Mito put me right back in my place.»
— Tell me something... Did she give you permission to go out?» his brother grumbled.
Hashirama gave an embarrassed laugh, but didn't reply.
— You then... You don't realize what you're exposing yourself to... I can't let you come if you don't have Mito's authorization.»
Hashirama may have been the Hokage and the most powerful man in the village, but Tobirama had complete authority over him.
— Well... That'll do this time. Anyway... You've done well. But don't do that again... We need you healthy. »
Hashirama approached the desk, then sat down in his chair.
— So what's the problem?» he asked.
Tobirama explained the problem and what he thought of it, despite his reluctance to see him work in his condition.
— I see... Indeed... It's a problem we can't ignore. Well, we have no proof that he really wants to attack the village.» Hashirama concludes.
— This man had a malevolent aura... Besides, he was on the roof of your office, which isn't allowed. When I attacked him and he recognized me, he said he couldn't face me and ran away. But that implies that if I were weaker, he would have confronted me willingly. Especially as he ran away... A well-meaning person wouldn't do that.» Tobirama explained.
Hashirama nodded slowly. Tobirama's speculations were credible and highly probable. The danger was palpable and we had to act quickly.
— We need to find him. And not just him, but his allies too. And then... We need to reinforce the village's defenses.» he announced.
Tobirama nodded his head in agreement. But not everyone agreed.
— If this guy's an Uchiha, we've got to keep an eye on them! They could be the danger!» Fuyugu Shimura protested.
— I've already explained to you that it's not as simple as that...» Sasuke Sarutobi replied.
— You're too lax! Reality isn't that simple!»
— And you go too far... Taking such precautions will only get us into trouble.»
— Please, stop arguing.» growled Tobirama.
The two stopped, seeing their superior's irritation.
— Somewhere... Fuyugu isn't so wrong.» Tobirama admitted «The Uchiha are unpredictable... Their emotions are unstable. He could very well have new Madara...»
— I don't think the Uchiha have anything to do with it.» Hashirama replied.
— I also think... But there's still a slim probability.» Tobirama said.
— Of course... But what do you want us to do?» asked Himana.
— We have to be very careful. I suggest we start investigating outside the village... And if we really don't find anything, we'll rely on the Uchiha Clan's option.»
— Tobirama... Don't tell me you want to spy on the Uchiha clan?!» exclaimed Sasuke.
— Do you see any other solutions?» replied the interested party.
Sasuke didn't answer. A pensive silence settled over the room.
— Okay, let's start by naming expedition teams.» said Hashirama, breaking the silence.
— Himana... I think you should go in person. You're one of the best sense ninjas in the village. And just in case, we need a powerful squad.» proposed Tobirama.
— Very good. I'll bring my best people. I also think my clan is best suited for this mission.»
— I'd like to come too.» Fuyugu said.
— We can't send two of our managers on this mission.» replied Hashirama.
— Ok, but if anything goes wrong, I'd like to intervene in person.»
— I have no problem with that.» Tobirama agreed.
Hashirama nodded in agreement.
So the plan was decided.
But... What would Himana discover on her expedition?
*****
— Tobirama Senju... You could have been seen by anyone... But it had to be him.»
Everything was dark. Darkness engulfed every feature of the land.
— I'm sorry, I... Master...»
— The next time you make a mistake like that, you know what to expect.»
A bolt of lightning zaps the sky. The storm was rumbling.
— Our plan may be somewhat disrupted... But despite everything... I can see our success.»
The man turned to the stormy sky.
— I see... Destiny. The village of Konoha... Will soon sink into darkness...»
The storm roared on, making a deafening noise. The man turned back to his subordinate. He was grinning devilishly. This man... Inspired all that was evil in this world.
In the darkness, two scarlet pupils shone.
— The Uchiha Clan will soon rise from the ashes. We are the future. »
Then the lightning stopped and everything went pitch black again.
The future looked bright... Bleak.
📖To be Continued...📖